The race for the 2015 FIFA Puskas Award has an early entrant, as Heerenveen scored a spectacular, game-winning goal Sunday in its Dutch Eredivisie (first division) win over Utrecht.
Sam Larsson scored the goal with a well-struck volley, but the Heerenveen striker only was able to do so after teammates Mark Uth and Joey van den Berg created an opening with two jaw-dropping skill moves.
Uth started the 65th-minute sequence when he simultaneously nutmegged defender Ramon Leeuwin and passed to van den Berg, who hit a first-time cross into the Utrecht penalty area with a rabona kick to Larsson.
The goal gave visiting Heerenveen a two-goal lead, and the inventive Dutch club held on to win 2-1.
Voters for the Puskas Award, which recognizes the outstanding goal of the year in world soccer, tend to focus on the shot itself. They would be wise to consider Larsson’s goal, given the audacious and well-executed build-up play that preceded the Swede’s volley.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@TjerkstraMedia
